Rowan Atkinson, the actor known for playing the character Mr. Bean, presented his reflections on the social phenomenon that is the culture of online cancellation.
The 65-year-old British star told the UK Radio Times that it is a scary and dangerous part of the Internet.
“The problem we have online is that an algorithm decides what we want to see, which ends up creating a simplistic and binary view of society,” he said, according to Deadline. “It becomes a case of you being with us or against us. And if you are against us, you deserve to be ‘canceled’.”
Atkinson added: “It is important that we are exposed to a wide range of opinions, but what we have now is the digital equivalent of the medieval crowd roaming the streets looking for someone to burn. So it is scary for anyone who is a victim of that crowd and it fills me with fear about the future. “
BRYAN CRANSTON SAYS ‘CANCEL CULTURE’ CREATES ‘LESS FORGET IN OUR WORLD’
Comedian and actor Ricky Gervais echoed these sentiments when talking about the culture of cancellation and how it impacts the world of comedy and its ability to create new material.
Rowan Atkinson compared the culture of cancellation to a ‘medieval mob’.
(Daniel Zuchnik / Getty Images)
In a December episode of the podcast, “SmartLess”, he addressed the growing trend and how it can affect people’s livelihood.
“The scariest thing is to get canceled if you say the wrong thing and suddenly Netflix can get you off its platform,” he told the hosts.
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“You could be the most awake and politically correct person in the world right now, but you don’t know what it will be like in 10 years,” he continued. “You can be canceled for things you said 10 years ago.”
Ricky Gervais argued that people are canceled for things they said decades ago.
(Paul Drinkwater / NBC via AP, Archive)
Although the culture of cancellation often serves as a topic that is often on the comedian’s mind, he noted that he believes in the public’s concept of holding people accountable. However, he argues that holding a public figure accountable means voting with someone’s money, not embarrassing others to do the same.
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“The misunderstanding about the culture of cancellation is that some people think you should be able to say what you want without consequences and that is not true because we are members of society and people can criticize you,” he said. “They are allowed not to buy their stuff, they are allowed to burn their DVDs and they can turn off the television. What they can’t do is intimidate others so they don’t see you. “
Tyler McCarthy of Fox News contributed to this report.